A miraculous place, a charmed island and, "let's face it -- absolutely unique in the world'', are just a few of the ways in which Lady Waddington attempts to describe the effect Bermuda has had on her since her arrival here almost five years ago.

Last week, as the Governor's wife prepared to leave Bermuda to return home to the UK, she talked to The Royal Gazette about the Island she has come to love.

"Bermuda has its difficulties, just like any other country but,'' she beamed, "it's still just about the best country in the world! In comparison with other places, it's not as crime or drug-ridden or racially divisive. On the contrary, it is big-hearted, generous, hospitable, affluent, industrious, highly cultured, well-educated -- in a word, successful! It is still one of the safest, most God-fearing and delightful places in the world. But,'' she warned, "Bermuda must look after, and nurture those attributes. These things don't just happen on their own, or by magic, and if Bermuda is not ever-vigilant, the assets which make Bermuda unique in the world could be at risk. I do think, though, that Bermuda has the money, the power, the tools and the will to keep this Island the success it is now.'' With that gusty and infectious laugh which has brightened so many formal occasions during her tenure at Government House, she added, "I shall really miss the wonderful hospitality of Bermudians -- they're true party animals. I think party-giving is an art form here -- no-one else in the world can throw a party the way Bermudians do, and it's done with such grace, confidence and sophistication -- right across the board. The lifestyle is so wonderful here, and it has great beauty, to boot! That is why the exempt companies come here: even though it's expensive, Bermuda has everything. I've been to the Caribbean, Australia, America -- just about everywhere, and nothing beats those South Shore beaches.'' As the self-assured wife of the former Chief Whip and then Home Secretary in Margaret Thatcher's government, Lady Waddington has been more than able to take in her stride, the occasional moments of strife, such as Bermuda's Independence Referendum, that have surfaced since her arrival here. Fiercely supportive of her husband, she was clearly not about to let that Opposition proposal to pay the Governor a salary of one dollar pass without comment, either.

"With the amount of fund-raising I've done in Bermuda, I must have more than raised my husband's salary every year that he's been here -- and I would say that has saved the Government a lot of money! And in any case, I would also say that he has given excellent value. It's not often that you get a former Home Secretary as the Governor of Bermuda. He ran the most difficult Ministry in Britain -- it's much harder than being the P.M.!'' Conceding that she was surprised by the appointment to Bermuda, she commented, "I was actually amazed the day that David rang up from No. 10 and said, `I have bad news and good news. The bad news is that I've lost my job (in John Major's new government)and the good news is that I've been asked to be the Governor of Bermuda.'' Of their posting here, Lady Waddington said, "I was trained to do this job -- it's as if my entire life had been conducted with the idea that I would one day be the wife of the Governor of Bermuda. I certainly had no fear of the protocol, or public side of things. I had entertained royalty -- and been entertained by royalty. It was rather like being the wife of a Cabinet minister all over again, but in a very different setting. I was initially upset at having to leave two new grandchildren behind -- that was very hard and frustrating -- and I had barely had a chance to put our house in Lancashire together before I had to pack it all up again, and I was upset at having to leave our daughter, Victoria, on her own at a time when I felt I should have been there with her. In spite of all that, the actual arrival in Bermuda turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. I had no idea,'' she admitted with a laugh, "that Bermuda was as lovely as this! And I had no idea that I would be able to carry on my life, in many ways as I had in England, doing all the things I like to do, such as going to the theatre, listening to good music, seeing the ballet, having The Garden Club and the Rose Society, able to do my painting...I suppose I had thought it would be a case of sitting for six months on an exotic beach -- and then having to dig deep. But I very soon realised that anyone who is happy living in a sophisticated town in Britain, would be very happy indeed living here.'' Probably the highlight as Governor's wife, was the visit by the Queen in 1993.

"It was such a success. My friend Mary Morrison is her Lady-in-Waiting and she said that on the Caribbean part of the tour `we were all counting down the hours, minutes and seconds until we got to Bermuda'. It all went like clockwork. The Queen worked very hard, as she always does, but there was not even a trace of anxiety. As soon as she stepped into the car at the Airport I could see it was all going to be a great success -- and it was! She was completely relaxed, the weather was lovely, the crowds were wonderful and she was totally charmed by the whole thing. She gave David the GCVO which was a great honour, as it's more personal than the KCVO.'' While her bubbly humour rarely falters, those who have worked on projects with Lady Waddington (and there have been many) have soon learned that this very `hands on' Governor's lady possesses a steely streak of determination that has made her one of the most successful fundraisers this Island has ever had.

Asked what she felt was her greatest achievement during her time in Bermuda, the answer came without hesitation.

"By far the most important thing for me has been the forming of the Bermuda Mental Health Foundation (BMHF), which has enabled us to provide communal residential facilities for some of Bermuda's mentally ill who would otherwise be homeless. When we began just two and a half years ago,'' she mused, "I never dreamed that by the time I left Bermuda, we would have two houses. We opened the first one towards the end of 1995 and we are now finalising arrangements for people to move into the second one.'' One of the co-founders of SANE (`Schizophrenia. A National Emergency'), her work for the mentally ill in the UK was legendary by the time Lady Waddington arrived in Bermuda.

Charity is close to Lady Waddington's heart Loath to take credit for the founding of BMHF which has already taken six people off the street or out of sub-standard housing, she insists "It was really Gavin Tennant's idea. He was the psychiatrist at St. Brendan's which I visited about three weeks after I got here. We chatted a long time, then he asked me if I would give a talk to the Schizophrenia Society, which I did. I met Jeremy Lodge as well, and they both said how nice it was to meet someone who was genuinely interested in mental health issues. Well, you know, it is the Cinderella of the medical profession. People don't really want to know about mental health! Anyway, one thing led to another and it was agreed it would be a good idea to try and start a Foundation. I told them I would get a committee together and get them some money. I should add, perhaps, that both Gavin and Jeremy were also on the Homeless Committee and we knew that many of our homeless people were the mentally ill who, nevertheless, could cope if they received a bit of help.'' Thanks to some sponsorship from Miller Lite, channelled through Gosling's, Lady Waddington found herself in the happy position of being able to donate $10,000 to a charity of her choice. "So I put it on the table and said, `This is the seed money for BMHF' and then I set about raising some serious amounts! Gavin brought in Stan Chetkowski and Stan Ratteray. Warren Cabral raised considerable sums and was invaluable in setting up our incorporation for us.

On that initial committee we also had Norma Astwood, Christine Barritt and Louie Grant who was the chief nurse at St. Brendan's until he retired and has been a fabulous sort of `clerk of works'. So we were successful very quickly -- and we've done it all without any hullabaloo and, I would add, without creaming off available `pool' money. We have also set up the Wilkie Memorial Lecture as an annual event. Zoe Butt is taking over my place as major fund-raiser and I know she will do a wonderful job.'' Now, she has heard from Mrs. Masefield, the new Governor's wife, that she is also extremely involved in mental health issues. "I feel God is really looking after us because he has found another woman who is concerned with mental health and psychiatric medicine! We also have Dr. Harvey and Helen Ann Chisholm on board now, so I know I am leaving the Foundation in safe hands.'' Going through an apparently endless list of charities, large and small, which have received her active support, Lady Waddington has an obvious fondness for Project 100 which also assists the mentally handicapped. "It's a very hard road for parents with handicapped children, especially on an island that is not a welfare state. I've enjoyed working with that committee which is a young group of people with high-profile jobs. There were two annual major events, a ball and a seniors fashion show and tea, both of which are always hosted at Government House.'' PALS also ranks very high on Lady Waddington's list: the group formed to assist cancer patients and their dependents, started by Hilary Soares,is now run by Ann Smith-Gordon. "This is a truly amazing organisation which raises enough money every year to support three nurses (the other two are paid for by a grant from Government). PALS provides special furniture, food supplements, sends people away for treatment if necessary, nurses them at home, counsels patients and their families -- sometimes staying all night, in a crisis. I have been out with Ann and visited well over 100 homes. This has been very rewarding and a wonderful opportunity to meet people in their own homes -- I don't normally get the chance to do that. I should also mention Margaret Tricker. Although she is an American, she was awarded the Queen's Certificate because she has done such an incredible job running the entire donations side of PALS.'' The Red Cross, noted Lady Waddington, never asked her to do much "apart from showing up at the AGM and their Annual Ball, but we got together to raise funds for their new headquarters. Then I invited Princess Alexandra to come out to perform the opening ceremony, and she also visited the BMHF house where she had tea with the residents. She is very active in mental health in the UK and her husband, Angus Ogilvie, is very involved in the drugs problem so they also visited Fairhaven. The girls there were very open and I was glad to see that the Princess was able to talk at some length with them. I think they got a good insight into the work that is being done there.'' On the arts front, Lady Waddington has also been tireless in her practical support. Last October she hosted `Islands in the Sun' to raise money for all four art organisations and held two major fundraisers at Government House for the National Dance Theatre's full-length production of `The Nutcracker'. "It was so beautiful, I was proud to be connected with that.'' On a personal basis, the biggest bonus has probably been her re-discovery of the joys of painting. A graduate of Brighton College of Art, Lady Waddington credits Masterworks' Tom Butterfield with bringing her back to the artist fold. "I've learned a lot of new skills since I came here, such as bridge, and even a bit of golf, but I shall always be grateful to Tom who got me painting again after I had stopped for years.'' A highlight, arising from his endeavours, was the highly successful joint show subsequently held by Lady Waddington with Opposition Leader Jennifer Smith for Masterworks.

What will she miss most about Bermuda? "The people,'' she shot back immediately. "We had expected people to be nice but had no idea we would make the sort of friends we have made here -- life-long friends. David and I have never pretended to be self-sufficient. We need friends -- I think we would wither and die without our friends. No, I certainly don't intend being homesick for Bermuda, because I am coming back!''